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Shipping Rules ​

Shipping Rules in RuleHook let you control how, when, and to whom different shipping methods appear. Each rule is made up of conditions and actions.

What Is a Rule? ​

A rule is a combination of:

  • Conditions – When should the rule apply? (e.g. cart total over $50, shipping country is US)
  • Actions – What should happen when the rule is triggered? (e.g. set shipping cost, rename method, hide a method)

Example: Free Shipping Over $50 ​

Conditions

  • Cart total is greater than $50

Actions

  • Set shipping cost to $0 for Standard Shipping

Conditions ​

You can define multiple conditions in each rule. All conditions in a group must match to trigger the rule.

Available Condition Types: ​

  • Cart Total

    • Operators: equals, greater than, less than, between
  • Cart Weight

    • Supports your store’s preferred unit (e.g. kg, lb)
  • Shipping Country / Region / Postcode

    • Supports ISO codes and ranges
  • Product Tag / Category / Attribute

    • Applies if any item in cart matches
  • Day of Week / Time of Day

    • Useful for time-based rates (e.g. weekend surcharge)
  • Custom User Role

    • Target logged-in user segments (e.g. VIPs)
  • Product

    • Match specific products by ID or SKU
  • Quantity

    • Apply rules based on total item count in cart
  • Volume / Dimensions

    • Use for volumetric shipping rules (e.g. oversized items)
  • Shipping Class

    • Target specific shipping classes (e.g. fragile, heavy)
  • Coupon Code

    • Apply rules when a specific coupon is used

Actions ​

Once a rule matches, one or more actions are applied to eligible shipping methods.

Available Actions: ​

  • Set Shipping Cost
    Override the method's cost. Supports fixed or percentage values.

  • Rename Method
    Change label (e.g. from “Express” to “Priority”).

  • Hide Method
    Remove method entirely when rule applies.

  • Add Handling Fee
    Apply an extra fee, optionally per item.

  • Set Delivery Time
    Dynamically override estimated delivery window.

  • Set Subtitle
    Add a subtitle to the method (e.g. “Ships in 2 days”).

  • Hide All Other Methods
    Hide all methods except the one matching this rule.

  • Free Shipping
    Automatically set cost to $0 for the method when conditions match.

Rule Evaluation Order ​

Rules are evaluated in order. If multiple rules match the same method, actions are applied sequentially.

Use the rule priority to control override behavior.

Tips & Best Practices ​

  • Use fewer rules by combining conditions smartly.
  • Prioritize rules that hide methods before rules that rename or override.
  • Test each rule using the “Checkout Simulator” feature to ensure expected behavior.

Common Use Cases ​

✅ Hide Express shipping if cart total is under $20
✅ Offer Free Shipping to US customers over $100
✅ Add a $10 handling fee on heavy items to Alaska
✅ Rename methods during a weekend promotion

Need help writing your first rule? Visit the Getting Started guide.